Good morning ladies, we're getting ready to move there in 51days, but who's counting.. Lol

I'm from Cali and coming to the mid west was very different, tornados, high winds and the humidity.. It's slower here, but as I get older I'm ok with that. Here's what I'd like to know: where is the best place to live? I've heard so much bad stuff about Lawton: drugs, break in's, murders... I have 2 children 1 going to 2nd and the other going to 4th.. What are good schools? I've looked at the private schoolsI'm also looking for a loving church home. I'm coming from FSBJC, theyre amazing.

Some of the housing on post isn't bad, but if you are wanting to live off post, I recommend living in Medicine Park, Elgin, or one of the surrounding towns. If you live in Lawton, the northwest part of town is supposed to be good, and some of the East side of town is alright from what I hear. There are a lot of areas to stay away from, too, though.

We went to First Baptist West here on Easter, and it seems like a nice church. We were going on post for a while, but my husband and I just didn't feel "at home" there.

We live off 67th and Cache area and we love it! cost of living here is about the same as Riley in my opinion. As with any town, there is good and bad. I will warn you, and it's mine and a few people I know opinion, if you look to rent off post stay away from Sundance. We walked in and asked a question and they were beyond rude so we said screw it and walked out. I found the house I rent on ahrn.com, but beware, some of sundance's places are on there too.

Welcome, we loved Riley, although we came from Washington state last. I really like it here personally :)

There's actually quite a bit to do here with kids if you are open-minded. There are a lot of parks in the area, a wildlife refuge where you can drive through and see deer, elk, buffalo, and cattle. You can take picnics there, and there are a couple of lakes nearby.

Also, we are just about an hour away from Oklahoma City, and there is a water park there, as well as a zoo, big science center with IMAX, and an amusement park. There are a lot of museums here in the state, and the one near Elmer Thomas Park here in Lawton is free on Sundays for Comanche county residents.

There is a splash park and some playgrounds on post, and a museum. The library has story time on Wednesdays, and I believe another day, too. There are malls in Oklahoma City, and also Wichita Falls, which is about an hour to the south. We are about a 4 hour drive from Six Flags Over Texas.

I am originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma and thought I would like it here. I absolutely hate it here! We have lived here for a little over 3 years and I have yet to find friends here. If you want to live anywhere, the East side of Lawton out of the city, is the best spot in my opinion. That is where we live and our house is going on the market and we plan on staying on the East side. There is never any crime here and we live next to several police officers, including the sheriff. The high school on the East side is Macarthur high and it is a GREAT school, as well as the middle and elementary school. As far as church, we have only been to one and that is First Baptist East, which is right down the street from us and they seem like an ok church, but I am not really into organized religion and they like to hold signs next to the highway such as abortion is murder and things like that. I just don't agree that Christians should be judgemental and should be holding signs telling people what they should and shouldn't be doing. In my opinion what you do is between you and the Lord and only the Lord, but other than that, it is a great church. There are several to choose from though and most of them have websites for you to explore before you go. As shutterbug said, if you are open minded and like the wilderness, you can find things to do with kids. Our thing is camping, swimming, fishing, or leaving Lawton! lol OKC, Tulsa (which is a little further), and Wichita Falls are the places to go. Although every time I have been to the OKC zoo, it sucked and we never really seen any animals and it was pact with rude people. If you don't mind a 2 1/2 hour drive, I would make the trip to the Tulsa zoo, which is WAY better! There is also a mall in Lawton, but it is just really small. Good luck, I hope you like it here more than me!